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O.J. Pleads Not Guilty
It's déjà vu all over again for O.J. Simpson.
The former football star and actor was back in a court Wednesday, professing his innocence to criminal charges that could land him in prison for life. Only this time, the venue was Las Vegas, and he was being arraigned on 12 counts, ranging from armed robbery to kidnapping, for allegedly attempting to rob two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.
"Yes, your honor," Simpson said as District Judge Jackie Glass asked him if understood the charges. Asked how he would like to plead to all charges, Simpson said emphatically, "Not guilty."
Flanked by his attorneys, Simpson left the courtroom smiling to the TV cameras and appearing relaxed despite his tenuous legal situation.
Glass set a trial date for Apr. 7, news that will surely be greeted with delight by the 24-hour cable networks seeking a rerun of the "Trial of the Century" over a decade ago, during which Simpson was acquitted of murdering wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
"Mr. Simpson is glad that the arraignment is over with," lawyer Yale Galanter told reporters after the 10-minute court session. "He is glad that he doesn't have to come back to Vegas until April."
The 60-year-old Simpson and cohorts Clarence Stewart and Charles Ehrlich each face felony counts of armed robbery, assault, kidnapping, burglary, conspiracy and coercion. The kidnapping count is the most serious charge and carries a maximum life-in-prison penalty.
Stewart, a 53-year-old Vegas resident and Simpson golfing buddy, and Ehrlich, 53, one of Simpson's pals from Florida, also entered not guilty pleas Wednesday.
All three have maintained their innocence from the start, claiming they were merely trying to retrieve souvenirs they believed to belong to the onetime NFL Hall of Famer and TV pitchman when they stormed a Sin City hotel room on Sept. 13.
At a preliminary hearing earlier this month, eight witnesses offered testimony that backed Clark County prosecutors' take on the incident: that Simpson asked two of the five men in his group to carry guns to intimidate collectors Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong and the entourage carted off an estimated $80,000 worth of mementos that included signed footballs, baseballs, awards, photographs, and the suit he wore at his 1995 acquittal.
Three of the witnesses who testified were part of Simpson's posse and participated in the purported shakedown. But they cut deals with the D.A. that allowed them to plead guilty to lesser charges for turning state's evidence against the Heisman Trophy winner.
Galanter has vehemently denied allegations he asked anyone to pack heat during the confrontation and have assiduously argued that the 600 items in question were obtained illegally and belonged to their client.
Simpson himself has described the incident as a "sting operation" and has suggested the Vegas police are out to get him because of his acquittal in the murder case.
The new trial is expected to last up to two months, according to Galanter, who suggested it may take several days to find an impartial jury.
"I don't think anyone is ever ready to go through the rigors of a trial," said Galanter. "But that is the situation we are faced with and we're certainly going to do the best we can"
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